DraftKings and FanDuel Take 71% of Iowa Online Handle as BetMGM Falls 32%

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) published its September figures on October 9. The monthly operator report puts internet handle at $276.10 million, compared with $271.69 million in September 2025.

DraftKings and FanDuel Add $9.62M in Wagers

A comparison with the commission’s archived 2025 figures shows how the two largest sportsbooks performed:

• DraftKings – $117.58 million in online wagers, up 5.5% from $111.39 million;
• FanDuel – $78.26 million, up 4.6% from $74.82 million;
• Combined – $195.84 million, up 5.2% from $186.21 million.

Their combined share rose 2.39 percentage points over the year. That calculation uses total internet handle, not all sports wagers placed in Iowa. The regulator’s operator registry lists Crown IA Gaming as DraftKings and Betfair Interactive US as FanDuel.

DraftKings remained the largest online sportsbook in the state. Its September handle exceeded FanDuel’s by $39.31 million, while the two brands together accounted for nearly 71% of all money wagered online.

BetMGM Falls as Fanatics and bet365 Gain

BetMGM moved in the opposite direction. Its online handle dropped from $19.65 million in September 2025 to $13.46 million this September, a decline of 31.5%. Its market share fell from 7.23% to 4.88%.

The report shows mixed results for other operators. Fanatics Sportsbook, reported under FBG Iowa, increased online handle from $11.27 million to $16.31 million, a rise of 44.8%. bet365, operating as Hillside (Iowa), climbed from $12.48 million to $15.59 million, approximately 25% higher.

Across the rest of the online market, excluding DraftKings and FanDuel, handle declined from $85.48 million to $80.26 million. That is a 6.1% decrease, despite the 1.6% increase in online wagering statewide.

The figures show a shift in betting volume between operators, although they do not establish whether individual customers moved from one sportsbook to another.

Retail Handle Drops While Statewide Total Stays Flat

Iowa recorded $290.24 million in combined online and retail sports wagers in September 2026. The comparable 2025 figure was $290.23 million: an increase of only $6,488, or 0.002%.

That flat overall result reflected two separate movements. Internet handle rose 1.62%, adding about $4.40 million in wagers. Retail sportsbook handle fell 23.7%, from $18.54 million to $14.14 million.

Sports wagering net receipts increased from $22.71 million to $23.75 million, or 4.6%. Calculated against total handle, net receipts represented 8.18% of wagers, compared with 7.82% a year earlier.